April 8, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
Framework 32 closes the Stellwagen Bank Closed Area to all vessels fishing for scallops through fishing year 2021. All vessels are prohibited from entering this area while on a declared scallop trip. This closure protects a substantial number of small scallops that have not recruited into the fishery.
April 2, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
We are transferring unused quota of Georges Bank and Southern New England/Mid Atlantic yellowtail flounder from the Atlantic sea scallop fishery to the commercial groundfish fishery.
If we expect the scallop fishery to catch less than 90 percent of its Georges Bank or Southern New England/Mid Atlantic yellowtail flounder quota, we are authorized to reduce the scallop fishery quota for these yellowtail flounder stocks to the amount projected to be caught, and increase the groundfish fishery quota by the same amount. This adjustment helps achieve optimum yield for both fisheries, while still protecting from an overage of the annual catch limits.
Based on the current projections, the scallop fishery is expected to catch 13 percent of its allocation of Southern New England/Mid Atlantic yellowtail flounder quota, and 11 percent of its Georges Bank yellowtail allocation.
Effective today, we are transferring 13.1 mt of Southern New England/Mid Atlantic yellowtail flounder from the scallop fishery to the groundfish fishery, and 15.2 mt of Georges Bank yellowtail flounder through the end of the 2019 fishing year (April 30, 2020).
For more information, read the rule as filed today in the Federal Register.
April 2, 2020 — The scallop industry has been growing steadily over the last few years, valued at over $500 million. But the coronavirus spread has brought it to a halt, mostly because restaurants are no longer buying.
New Bedford scallop fisherman Eric Hansen says there’s usually an influx of landings when the season starts but the coronavirus spread has changed everything.
“I’m questioning myself whether I’m going to make a trip or wait to see if maybe there are restaurants open and a demand starts again,” Hansen said. “But right now everything is in flux.”
April 1, 2020 — The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) approved Framework Adjustment 32 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan ahead of the season which is set to open on April 1, 2020.
The plan will help set scallop specifications and other measures for the 2020 and 2021 fishing seasons. The adjustments will help protect small scallops and reduce bycatch of flatfish, according to a notice on the Federal Register.
March 30, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
Framework 32 sets specifications for the scallop fishery for fishing year 2020, including days-at-sea, individual fishing quotas, sea scallop access area trips, and Northern Gulf of Maine management measures.
In addition, Framework 32:
For more information, read the final rule as filed in the Federal Register, and the permit holder bulletins (Limited Access and Limited Access General Category) posted on our website.
March 23, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:
The New England Fishery Management Council will hold several advisory panel (AP) and committee meetings via webinar in late-March to discuss issues related to skates, scallops, and ecosystem-based fishery management (EBFM). The Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee also will meet by webinar.
Here are three important notes that apply to all of the webinar meetings.
Here’s what’s in the queue for the rest of March.
SKATE ADVISORY PANEL AND SKATE COMMITTEE: The Skate AP and Skate Committee will meet jointly via webinar on Thursday, March 26, 2020 beginning at 8:30 a.m.
SKATE WEBINAR REGISTRATION: Register Now for the Skate AP/Committee webinar.
SKATE CALL-IN OPTION: To listen by telephone, dial +1 (562) 247-8321. The access code is 346-538-257.
AGENDA: The Skate AP and Skate Committee will discuss issues related to potential limited access, skate fishing communities, and Council research priorities. Details are available in the meeting notice and agenda.
SKATE COMMENTS: The deadline for submitting written comments for consideration at this meeting is 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 24, 2020.
MATERIALS: Meeting materials are posted on the Council’s website at Skate AP/Committee March 26, 2020 webinar documents.
SCALLOP ADVISORY PANEL: The Scallop AP also will meet via webinar on Thursday, March 26, 2020 beginning at 8:30 a.m.
SCALLOP AP WEBINAR REGISTRATION: Register Now for the Scallop Advisory Panel webinar.
SCALLOP AP CALL-IN OPTION: To listen by telephone, dial +1 (415) 930-5321. The access code is 924-004-372.
AGENDA: The Scallop AP will receive an update on Framework Adjustment 32 and work to finalize the range of alternatives in Amendment 21. Details are available in the meeting notice.
SCALLOP AP COMMENTS: The deadline for submitting written comments for consideration at this meeting is 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 24, 2020.
MATERIALS: Meeting materials will be posted on the Council’s website at Scallop AP March 26, 2020 webinar documents.
SCALLOP COMMITTEE: The Scallop Committee will meet via webinar on Friday, March 27, 2020 beginning at 8:30 a.m.
SCALLOP COMMITTEE WEBINAR REGISTRATION: Register Now for the Scallop Committee webinar.
SCALLOP COMMITTEE CALL-IN OPTION: To listen by telephone, dial +1 (872) 240-3311. The access code is 502-063-709.
AGENDA: The Scallop Committee will receive an update on Framework Adjustment 32 and work to finalize the range of alternatives in Amendment 21. Details are available in the meeting notice.
SCALLOP COMMITTEE COMMENTS: The deadline for submitting written comments for consideration at this meeting is 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 24, 2020.
MATERIALS: Meeting materials will be posted on the Council’s website at Scallop Committee March 27, 2020 webinar documents.
EBFM COMMITTEE AND PLAN DEVELOPMENT TEAM (PDT): The Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management Committee and EBFM PDT will meet jointly via webinar on Tuesday, March 31, 2020 beginning at roughly 11:00 a.m. or as soon as the State of the Ecosystem Report* discussion at the simultaneous Scientific and Statistical Committee meeting is finished.
EBFM COMMITTEE/PDT WEBINAR REGISTRATION: Register Now for the EBFM/PDT webinar.
EBFM COMMITTEE/PDT CALL-IN OPTION: To listen by telephone, dial +1 (415) 655-0052. The access code is 933-669-071.
AGENDA: In addition to the State of the Ecosystem Report*, the EBFM Committee and PDT will discuss issues related to public outreach related to EBFM and the Council’s example Fishery Ecosystem Plan for Georges Bank. Details are available in the meeting notice.
EBFM COMMITTEE/PDT COMMENTS: The deadline for submitting written comments for consideration at this meeting is 8:00 a.m. on Friday, March 27, 2020.
MATERIALS: Meeting materials will be posted on the Council’s website at EBFM Committee/PDT March 31, 2020 webinar documents.
SCIENTIFIC AND STATISTICAL COMMITTEE (SSC)*: The Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee will meet via webinar on Tuesday, March 31, 2020 beginning at 10:00 a.m. The public is invited to listen live.
SSC WEBINAR REGISTRATION: Register Now for the SSC webinar.
SSC CALL-IN OPTION: To listen by telephone, dial +1 (631) 992-3221. The access code is 157-256-431.
AGENDA: The SSC will receive a presentation on the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s State of the Ecosystem 2020 report and provide recommendations on suggested revisions. The SSC also will discuss other business as necessary.
SSC COMMENTS: The deadline for submitting written comments for consideration at this meeting is 8:00 a.m. on Friday, March 27, 2020.
MATERIALS: Meeting materials are posted on the Council’s website at SSC March 31, 2020 webinar meeting documents.
GENERAL QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE WEBINAR MEETINGS: Contact Joan O’Leary at (978) 465-0492 ext. 101, joleary@nefmc.org or Janice Plante at (607) 592-4817, jplante@nefmc.org.
March 23, 2020 — Maine’s prized scallop fleet caught fewer of the shellfish for the second year in a row despite nationwide trends toward increased catch.
Maine is home to a scallop industry that operates in near-shore waters and is beloved in the culinary world. The state’s scallops have cachet in part because of how quickly fishermen are able to get freshly caught product to consumers.
But the fishermen harvested about 415,000 pounds of scallop meat in 2019, down more than 200,000 pounds from 2018. And that year was a dip from 2017, when fishermen brought nearly 800,000 pounds to land.
Read the full story from the Associated Press at The Washington Times
March 18, 2020 — Important meetings that could help shape future stock assessments, quotas and other regulatory conditions in the waters off the US New England coast will continue in the next few months via the internet due to concerns over the coronavirus, the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) announced this week.
“Due to federal and state travel restrictions and updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding the new coronavirus, COVID-19, the April council meeting will be conducted by webinar,” NEFMC has now declared on its website.
The event, which was scheduled to take place in Mystic, Connecticut, April 14-16, will be held online, April 14-15.
March 18, 2020 — The topic of food security has been on the mind of forward thinkers for years now, who primarily have focused on access to food as affected by natural disasters. As Covid-19 closes ports, markets and distributors, and social distancing practices threaten the supply chain for goods and services, many of us are discovering how valuable local products are.
Some of my Maine-based social media groups have been filled with posts from the staff of locally owned stores, detailing the products they have for sale, and from local farmers hoping to find new distribution points for their goods and to remind local buyers that not everything is sold out, despite the popularity of Empty Shelf Shots.
I’m feeling lucky to live in a state with small-scale farmers and fishermen. The products being delivered locally are made, grown and caught right here. On Friday, as my office was closing for the foreseeable future, I hauled home 20 pounds of Maine blueberries and 10 pounds of Gulf of Maine scallops for the freezer.
This pandemic is a reminder that a global marketplace can satisfy our worldly desires, but it cannot sustain us through deeply troubled times when our access is limited. Diversification of markets would ideally include expanding local distribution points, as well as global ones. And if we as consumers want access to our local products in times of trouble, then we have to keep buying them even when the world opens up to us again.
March 12, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:
The Atlantic Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program will support 12 projects during the 2020-2021 award cycle that address resource surveys, economic impacts of offshore wind development on the scallop fishery, links between environmental factors and scallop meat condition, and many other issues.
The awards were announced on March 11 by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center and the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, which both are part of NOAA Fisheries. The funded projects focus on scallop research priorities identified by the New England Fishery Management Council, which established the Scallop RSA Program in 1999 through Framework Adjustment 11 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan. The Council and NOAA Fisheries work together to support research-set aside projects. The Council sets priorities, and NOAA Fisheries manages the RSA competition and administers the program.